[Excerpt] [Correspondent] It has become traditional that Uzbek President Islom Karimov holds news conferences for local and foreign journalists [during a break] in each parliamentary session. This time also, our country's president held a news conference for local and foreign journalists. He answered several questions. Our president said the following in answer to questions about the strategic partnership agreement between Russia and Uzbekistan, trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.
[Karimov in Russian] The main components of this document on strategic partnership, signed between the Uzbek and Russian presidents, are economic issues. If formerly we focused more attention on military and political issues, now we should openly acknowledge that cooperation, first of all in energy and economy is predominant in our relations today.
The fact that the president of [Russia's] LUKoil, Vagit Alekperov, has recently visited our country and signed a very important document which was not adequately covered in the press gave a signal to the start of implementing a big and long-term project envisaging 1bn-dollars worth of investment in Uzbekistan, first of all, in extracting gas and gas condensate. This figure itself means a lot.
[Passage omitted: Karimov says that there are plans to develop cooperation in car manufacturing and agriculture]
[Correspondent] It is known that international terrorism and extremism pose a threat to the whole world. Various terrorist attacks taking place in several countries are claiming the lives of many people. It is demanded by the time that all states should unite their efforts to fighting this threat. It is also worth mentioning that President Islom Karimov has stressed at several international conferences the need to unite efforts. Time has proved itself how true these views are. Answering questions about Uzbekistan's cooperation with other states in fighting international terrorism, Islom Karimov expressed the following views.
[Karimov in Russian] It is a global danger and, how it is now defined, the plague of the 21st century. No-one can guarantee now that a state or a city or a residential area is safe from terrorist attacks, people have started to speak about this loudly. Moreover, I think that it has become a fashionable topic in all speeches, seminars and conferences. It has acquired such resonance since the well-known and shocking acts which took place in New York, that is, the attacks on those skyscrapers [word indistinct], when many innocent people, citizens of not only America but also other states died. It was stated loudly at that time that it was a tragedy and danger which could go out of control.
[Passage omitted: an international counterterrorism coalition has been formed]
We are giving the US president Mr Bush his due for his work in this field. He has truly led this fight. The United States is today indeed doing much to give this fight specific forms and directions. I would say that it is taking the lead.
Why am I stressing this? Because when another session of NATO and the EAPC [Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council] was held for the first time in Prague, I made one statement which was not welcomed by some leading NATO members. I said that there was a mood in Europe which I would describe as "do not rattle my cage and I will not rattle yours'." Unfortunately, this mood is not only counter-productive, but also dangerous. It does not concern us. We are living well. We are well-off and healthy. We are prosperous. Besides, we have living standards envied by countries of Asia, Africa and other continents. Why should we get involved in this struggle? Why should we stick our necks out?
[Passage omitted: Karimov recalls a number of terror acts carried out in countries of the West]
When I visited Germany, I had talks with the leadership of the [German] parliament. When I for the first time said that Afghanistan was not only the problem of Central Asia and, that it posed a threat to the whole world. I think that I said this when I visited in 2000. You somehow deal with that yourself, the chairman of the parliament said at that time. We will not get ourselves involved in your problem. After 11 September 2001, the whole Europe and world suddenly began to say that Afghanistan was indeed a center which was posing a threat. Then Iraq emerged and then other centers emerged.
[Passage omitted: terror is a universal threat; speaking about Uzbekistan's economy Karimov hails the country's national currency policy]
The convertible som, our currency, is now proving how important it is [to the economy]. After a recent three-week inspection, a World Bank delegation stressed that it has no objections to raise regarding the way the problem of currency is being resolved in Uzbekistan. In other words, World Bank experts are acknowledging that the process is being conducted in a reliable and well-organized way.
[Passage omitted: repeat]
Let me give you some figures. We expect this year's GDP to rise to 7.6 percent. It could be even higher. This means our economy will liven up and move further to modern principles of cooperation, this means that we will have more investment and we will build more modern enterprises. This is being said by many experts and observers.
[Passage omitted: there are plans to open a new joint enterprise in Tashkent Region; the import of high-quality goods should be increased, Karimov says.]
[Correspondent] We know that no-one is indifferent to the current situation in Ukraine. Asked by journalists about Uzbekistan's views on the political turmoil in Ukraine, our head of state said the following in brief.
[Karimov in Uzbek] I want to answer this question briefly. I fully agree with a recent statement by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that this matter is the Ukrainians' own problem.
[Passage omitted: known details about the Ukraine elections]
I agree that the elections were not free of irregularities. There were fraught with vote rigging and fraud in both - the western and eastern parts of Ukraine. Ukrainians know this very well. There is no need for outside opinion. I think there was more or less the same amount of vote rigging in the west and the east of Ukraine. I repeat that this is an internal affair of the Ukrainian nation.
If I were asked about the motives, I would say that the first was a crisis in Ukraine's political arena, people's discontent - public discontent has become so intense because of some actions that violated the constitution. These prompted the people to take to the streets.
[Passage omitted: repeat]
We can now hear and watch various kinds of talk on this subject. We can also see how the two sides are being set against each other from outside. Some say that this is intrigues by the US Department of State, that it has been interfering and directing all this. Others say Europe has a hand in this. Some others say Russia has made contributions to this, that this is the result of Russia's interference. We hear a great deal of such talk on this.
I think that - in addition to these instances of interference which are of secondary importance - the main reason is people's discontent. This is the first reason. The second reason is mistakes committed by Mr Leonid Kuchma, the Ukrainian incumbent president, his tactical and strategic mistakes.
I respect Kuchma. And you know that we maintain a very good friendly relationship. But I have to acknowledge that the current government was responsible for making sure the elections were held at a high level, in conformity with the law.
[Correspondent] In reply to a question as to whether Uzbekistan intends to impose a moratorium on death penalty, the president of our country said.
[Karimov in Russian] Above all, I would like to say that the death penalty is now being applied under only two Articles [of the Criminal Code]. You will remember that about five years ago there used to be 16 articles of this kind, then we reduced them to eight, then to four and now our legislation has two articles under which death penalty is handed down. These are international terrorism and premeditated murder.
[Passage omitted: only two Articles envisage the death penalty, repeat]
You are asking as to when we will respond to the European Union's call to impose a moratorium on the death penalty and abolish the two articles. I want to tell you absolutely honestly that my personal opinion - and I will not say that this is other people's opinion - is that the question was put correctly. We should stop handing out death sentences. This is my personal opinion.
But to what extent can this decision be implemented today? If it were precisely today that we had to abolish or impose a moratorium on the death penalty. All this is linked not only with my desire, but, above all, with public opinion.
Public opinion in Uzbekistan is [changes tack]. If you hold a survey today, the absolute majority of people would be in favor of keeping the death penalty. We have conducted such surveys and this finding is indeed true.
[Passage omitted: the same opinion poll was conducted in Russia and about 70-80 percent of Russians are against the abolition of the death penalty]
Some of our neighbors here are also adopting similar decisions. I would describe such decisions as conjectural, which have not been hammered out. I take the responsibility for my every word. Coming to this decision is like bearing a child. It is not the case in Kyrgyzstan, which announces a moratorium on the death penalty every year and thinks only about how such a decision might raise it in the eyes of Europe. This means that the country fears or is uncertain about abolishing the death penalty and at the same time it wants to please the European Union, primarily the OSCE.
[Passage omitted: Karimov says when taking decisions he thinks about Uzbekistan's interests]
In choosing forms of cooperation - I would say the aims of cooperation, degrees of cooperation, scale of cooperation - Uzbekistan is guided, above all, by only one thing - Uzbekistan's interests. This is it, and nothing else. I would like to use this argument in replying to the above question.
As I have said, my personal opinion is that we should scrap the two articles. We should stop handing down the death verdict.
[Passage omitted: repeat]
We need to work on public opinion and we need to work with the population in order to completely give up the two articles of the criminal code and, thus, give up handing down the death sentence. Moratorium and other things are just a game. What is moratorium? Do you have such prisons and cells for convicts who are sentenced to death? Their fate is unclear. Practically, they are sentenced to death but the sentence is not implemented because the country's president signs the same document every year - a moratorium on the death penalty. One should issue not a moratorium but a decision on abolishing the death sentence. I think this will be a more open and competent decision. A person who has been given the death penalty will feel himself very well.
You are asking about figures. More than 100 people were annually sentenced to death in Uzbekistan seven or eight years ago, and between 50 to 60 people were sentenced to death in 2004. I do not mean they were actually executed.
[Passage omitted: speaking about a bicameral parliament Karimov said that 16 Senators would be appointed by the president]
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